Mexico, Mexico City North Mission

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Well this week we were able to help Adela and her mom, Venustiana be confirmed. It was a wonderful day and they were both so happy! Unfortunately, I don't think that Venustiana has too much longer in this world. But she'll make a great missionary in the next with all the things she has learned! I hope you keep them in your prayers. We are teaching a man named Giovanni and his son Diego, who are really excited about learning. They will be a great addition to the church. We are also teaching two littler kids named Jesus and Abram. They are cool guys. Their mom is a member and we are helping them to make the decision to be baptized.

It was wonderful to hear about Elder Sonntag and Elder Hawkins! They would be such great zone leaders! I wish I could send them a letter, but I'm afraid one of them would get transferred before it got there!

Well, remember to pray and ALWAYS follow the promptings you get. That goes for everything. Home and visiting teaching, teaching a class in church, talks, and just normal life. Do it and touch lives. Do it and help save generations.

Monday, July 18, 2011

This week was a great week because we had two baptisms! Adela and her mother Venustiana. They were so excited, especially after the baptism. I had the opportunity to baptize Venustiana, who is 90 years old. It was cool because we had to have three missionaries in the font to support her. She can't stand up, and has to roll around in a wheel chair. It was a good experience and she was beaming after her baptism.

My companion and I had an interesting experience this week. We bought bananas, just your normal average everyday red bananas (yes, red), and put them in the fridge. The day after I was washing some dishes and my companion reaches in the fridge for a banana. A few seconds later he yells, "AAAAHHHHHHHGGGGG!! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!!!" Needless to say, my interest was peaked. I asked him why, and he said that he stuck his hand in a spider web. We pulled out the bananas and inspected them. Sure enough, there was a big sticky spider web right in the middle of the bananas. We carefully opened them to look for the spider, and...there she was, big and black (your common banana spider, one of the most deadly in the whole world, one bite, and it's bye-bye, so long, bon voyage) and dead. Whew. We scraped the web off the bananas and put it on a plate for further inspection. The spider did not die from the cold of the fridge, not the dark, but died from giving birth to MANY baby banana spiders who were still hanging around in the web. They were still alive. We acted quickly and got some poison and killed all the tiny people killers before they could escape, then cleaned out the fridge and thoroughly cleaned the bananas. They are all dead now.

The produce here is really swell. Good fruits. The bolillios are...well, bread. The pan dulce is good, especially with some abuelita hot chocolate. I am indeed eating sufficiently. The chilies are hot. I found out that I must be allergic to some or something, because they give me a horribly bad and bitter taste in my mouth that fills my whole tongue and makes me want to puke. I have to sometimes swallow whole bites because chewing makes it a lot worse. There are all kinds of chilies here.

My companion is good. Our zone is good too, just doing what we do...The new president is a really great guy. He only brought his wife, all his kids are on their own.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Iver art!! Yes it is!! This past week, we had the awesome surprise of coming home to letters from Mexico in the mailbox!! CRAZY-WONDERFUL!!

Iver and Shakira, ever since moving to the city, have a thing about pigeons. They could literally spend hours watching them and laughing. In his letter to Shakira, Iver introduced her to a funny little smaller breed, the pigeoncito. He described their pigeon antics, in miniature. Needless to say, Shak cannot wait to go to Mexico City next summer to see them for herself!

The letters were so wonderful and full of love. We are so blessed!

On July 11, 2011 Elder Johnson wrote:

Family and Friends:

I hope you are all well and have not drowned. It seems that up in Colorado, the sky is trying to kill you. Here we have been swimming also. It rains now everyday at exactly five o'clock. You can literally tell time by it. I have been wearing my waterproof shoes, because it is just a pain to try and dry the other ones out after a rainy day. It takes about two days to get them completely dry. All the streets here flood, because ALL of the drains are blocked with stuff. I think that part of the reason God had me go to Washington was so that I would only have to pass through the rainy season once. He's a smart guy and really does take care of His children. Ha ha.

Today was transfer day, and as it turns out, it looks like I have something yet to learn from Elder Schultz. We are still together, and will be for at least a few more weeks. We have been working hard, and getting wet, and he has been getting sick. Poor guy hasn't been able to sleep for two days. He looks pretty sick. Keep him in your prayers.

This week we will be working hard so we can have some baptisms and make some converts. It will be a good week, and I'm excited for it! I hope I don't get too wet this week. I love you all!!!!!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

On July 4, 2011 Elder Johnson wrote personal, individual letters to Corbin, Shakira and I. He is very busy with a new mission president coming in, and could not take more time to write the general letter he usually writes. I will share some of what he wrote to us:

To Shakira, a joke:

How does Hitler tie his shoes?

Into little Nazis! lol

He also wrote a very loving, heartfelt letter of council and comfort to his sister.

To Corbin:

Thanks for your advice about the new president! He is a swell guy and I had a good time getting to know him (Iver had a meeting and interview with him on Friday). He looks a lot like Papa Ted, and is a very spiritual man. I look forward to doing all he says and following his guidance.

And to me:

Happy Fourth of July! This is the last one I will pass on my mission! Woah!

I didn't know you taught the Gospel Principles class (I actually don't, just sub sometimes and told him about my experience Sunday). How cool! Did you know I do too? It's a tad different in Spanish, but so much fun! My "students" love learning and reading out of the Book of Mormon. It is always fun to prepare the class, saying a prayer before so I can help the spirit touch every person somehow. It's difficult but it is the best way.

And about your missionary question (I have someone I am really wanting to share with, and I asked his advice), the best thing to do is just do it. When you see an opportunity, just do it, because it may pass you by forever.

Jumping for Joy...

I Love the Gospel!!

Mailing Iver (please do!!)

Letters will be sent by pouch mail. Please follow these specific instructions: Only postcards and letters that are single sheet, folded into three panels, and taped at the top (no envelopes) may be sent through the pouch. Send to this address:

Elder Iver Alexander Johnson

Mexico Mexico City North Mission

POB 30150

Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0150

USA

Packages cannot be sent through pouch mail. Packages should be sent through the USPS to this address:

Elder Iver Alexander Johnson

Mexico Mexico City North Mission

Apartado Postal #98

54740 Cuautitlan Izcalli, Edo. De Mexico

MEXICO

I am told that packages are more likely to make it to the missionary, unopened, if you tape a picture of the Virgin Mary on the opening seam.